Chase (Working Title)
by just4alaugh
Summary: Murders of Downworlders and Shadowhunters are happening. Annabeth's given one last chance to prove herself by finding out what exactly is going on, and just what role a boy called Percy Jackson plays. It's basically the "cast" of Percy Jackson as Shadowhunters. : ) Rated T for swearing. Summaries are not my strong point... Updated with Chapter 4 xD
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** _Heyy! This is just an idea I had. I really wanted to write about Annabeth and Percy in a different scenario, and I really wanted to write a tough badass (Emma inspired) Annabeth (which is pretty much the actual Annabeth anyway...) So, in this story some characters may be a little OOC but I do hope you like it! I'm not sure if it's actually worth continuing yet, so please let me know if you want more (because I do have ze ideas.) But, idk, maybe I'm the only one who would find this sort of story interesting...? I did get a lot of satisfaction from writing this chapter out..._

 _On a side note, yes I do have another (older) story. I just had my school start up again and it's been CRAZY. I do have future ideas for that story, but this is just another idea i had that I was dying to write up. So it's not that I've given up on that story._

 _Anyway, hope YOU had a reason to smile today xx._

* * *

 **I**

"Look, it's just not working out." Annabeth paced back and forth, her boots clicking and slapping with every step. She tightened her ponytail, which kept her long, curly hair swept away from her face. Luke's eyes were headlights, focused completely on her. "It's not you - well, except that it is. It's your incessant calling, and you're always _so_ cautious. I'm surprised you've even noticed you and I have been in a relationship lately, what with your head so far up the Clave's -"

" _Annabeth_ ," Luke looked shocked. "That's hardly something to bring up now."

"Well," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "If not now, when? Look, the point is, it's over. Good bye, see ya later."

"So that's it?"

Annabeth squared her shoulders, stopped pacing, met Luke's eyes. "Sure is, buddy. That's all I plan to say."

A minute passed. Luke's mouth twitched the entire time. Finally, he cracked a smile, and Annabeth met it with one of her own. "I shouldn't smile - and I'm not smiling because you're funny! This is going to _break_ his heart, Annabeth." Luke suddenly scowled. "You can't seriously break up with Michael like this."

Annabeth sighed. "Luke, the fact of the matter is, I've already _broken_ up with him."

Luke paled. "Good god, tell me it didn't go like this practice conversation."

"Relax, I was just pulling your leg here. The actual conversation went much better! Well, up until the part where he started crying…"

"Annabeth!"

"To be fair, he said he wasn't crying, that he was just 'in the vicinity of some onions', but I don't know… I could hear some phlegm. And we all know how phlegmy he gets when he cries. Gods, he looks hot when he doesn't cry though," Annabeth amended.

Luke stilled. His face had gone carefully blank.

Annabeth paused, feeling like someone had snatched the rug out from under her feet. She didn't usually feel any trepidation or unease around Luke, but the exceptions were in moments like this, when his mood would change so suddenly it felt like someone had flipped a switch in him.

Slowly, Annabeth sidled up to Luke and sat next to him. They were on the rooftop of their Institute, the sun set painting the city below them orange, pink, yellow and grey. "What's up Luke? You never really liked Mike that much anyway." Luke didn't say anything. Annabeth thought back over what she'd said. "Unless…" She groaned, moving away from Luke. "Is this about the word 'gods'?"

"Well," Luke's ears tinged red. He was caught. "It's not a normal term!"

"Technically that would depend on your religion," Annabeth pointed out coolly. But she knew it wasn't about religion. Unfortunately, she didn't know what it _was_ about either. All she knew was that at various points in her life, Luke would overreact over the weirdest things - her being able to learn Greek and even Latin quite easily, her extreme talent with crafts, her hat that could inexplicably turn her invisible… well, the list kind of went on and on. Often, she'd slip up and say 'gods'. For some stupid reason he would never explain, it really bugged Luke. "Look, I don't have time for this. I don't want to be late for patrol." Annabeth marched off. Behind her, Luke called out, dismayed, but Annabeth ignored him.

She'd known him for 12 years - ever since she was seven. He was 25 now, and ran the Institute along with his girlfriend, Thalia. The fact that he was technically her superior still didn't make her hesitate as he continued to call after her.

x

Patrol. It was Annabeth's favourite time of the day - when exciting things happened. When they didn't, her foot kept tapping, her fingers kept fidgeting, and the word bored could hardly do her mental state justice.

It was her ADHD. Shadowhunter's usually didn't have 'diseases' or 'illnesses', nor were anything short of perfection. But Annabeth did. ADHD and Dyslexia. She'd even had to go to a human doctor to get diagnosed. It was a part of herself that she kept on the down low - like molten earth center down low.

Today's patrol team consisted of her, Piper and Leo. They weren't on the hunt of any creature in particular, but were doing the usual sweep to ensure that Downworld was behaving.

Piper gently grabbed Annabeth's arm, yanking Annabeth's attention back to the present. "Calm, ok?" She winked.

Annabeth smiled grudgingly, and forced her body to straighten out and relax. Piper was the only other person (aside from Luke and Thalia) who knew about Annabeth's problems, as the Clave would view it. She was now a pro at gently getting Annabeth to act 'normal', because the Clave wasn't about to appreciate a Shadowhunter with issues. And, currently, Annabeth knew they appreciated her a _lot_. She was a model student.

"So, fam," Leo rubbed his hands together. "Things are looking dull. You guys ready to try out a new invention of mine?"

Annabeth and Piper exchanged a glance. Annabeth wanted excitement, sure, but it often came at too high a price when it came to Leo's gadgets. "Depends," Piper replied.

"On…?" Leo prompted.

"On what exactly this particular deathtrap - sorry, I mean invention - does." Annabeth peeked a glance at Leo, smiling playfully.

"Har, har," Leo snorted. "Maybe the day my inventions are 100% perfect will be the day your break ups are actually kind and compassionate."

"Hey! Today I broke up with Michael Kahale _perfectly_ ," Annabeth pointed out. In her books, the crying really wasn't a big deal. "Tell him Piper."

"Hmm, is that a window over there?"

"Piper!"

"Sorry, Ann," Piper squeezed her shoulder. "But he did seem to be bawling pretty loudly over the phone. And I was reading all the way on the other side of our giant library. With headphones on."

Annabeth scowled, whilst Leo erupted in laughter. "Well, Valdez, that means your invention isn't going to be top notch either." Annabeth made sure she had her eyes focused on the scene below - a busy evening in LA. They were on the balcony of a tall hotel. There was a night time market place, with numerous lights and people, alive and sprawling below them. Humans were there, sure, but there were downworlders too… Annabeth loved bantering with her friends as much as the next guy or girl, but she wasn't about to let herself get distracted from the job at hand (boring and safe as it might be.)

"Want a bet?" Leo held out his hand. In it was a silver object. "Meet the Valdez-atron 2000. It locates the nearest magic that's wild and out of control. Usually, when warlocks use magic it's quite controlled and directed. When they, or anyone else really, employ crazy evil spells, the magic itself becomes wilder and crazier. This baby is like a GPS, and will point us in the right direction. It can detect any bout of 'uncontrolled' magic. You can even set it's sensitivity, to determine whether it'll pick up like, batcrap crazy magic overload, or like just slightly crazed magic use… " Leo turned to Annabeth. "Like your hat."

"My hat?" Annabeth froze, then mentally shook herself. Stupid Luke and his jumpiness. It unfortunately had rubbed off on her.

"Yeah, your basebal cap, babe. It turns you invisible right?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "That's definitely got warlock enchantment written all over it."

"One," Annabeth held out a finger, "Don't call me 'babe'. Two, it's… it can't be because of a warlock enchantment. I've had it since forever."

"Must be," Piper mused. "I mean, unless it's… a demon enchantment? Which we all know it's not."

"Yeah, maybe," Annabeth allowed, but she didn't buy it. It just didn't seem right to her that she would've known a warlock when she was younger. Her parents hadn't been Shadowhunters, after all. Her parents hadn't been there, period. "But Leo, who's to say 'crazy' magic will be going on when you fire that device?"

"It can detect magic up to approximately 2 hours after it's been used. But it will always point to the most recent bout of magic."

"Hmm, I don't know," Piper reasoned. "It seems like it's still in the prototype stage."

"Well, I've fired it up now, on medium, so let's see what-"

"WHAT?"

"LEO ARE YOU CRAZY? QUICK - duck!" Piper grabbed Annabeth with one hand, Leo with the other, and pulled them both behind a thick column on the opposite end of the balcony.

Five seconds passed in silence, broken only by their heavy breathing.

"Geez, overreact much?" Leo said. Just before an explosion rocked the entire balcony, causing the cement to shift beneath Annabeth's feet.

 _Future note to self_ , Annabeth thought, _next time it would be safer to jump off the balcony to get away from Leo's inventions_ , right as a giant piece of cement whacked her in the face, causing her head to knock against Piper's. As a dust cloud surrounded the three of them, Annabeth was certain that she too would be coughing and hacking, just like Leo and Piper were, if the breath hadn't already been knocked out of her.

x

"Leo, it's almost not worth having you as a Parabatai," Piper grumbled, without any malice, as the three of them stared at the alley they suddenly found themselves in.

Leo whistled. "You're all talk, beauty queen." And Annabeth agreed - those two were as thick as thieves.

"Where are we? This isn't the balcony - I can't even hear the night market." Annabeth frowned. "Did you make some sort of portal, Leo, by mistake?" She tried to keep her nerves and excitement in check, knowing it was always better to stay calm, but it was hard. Just a minute ago, they'd been coughing in a dust cloud. Now, they were in an alleyway, concrete pieces littering the floor around them. The same concrete as that from the balcony of the hotel, which was now nowhere in the vicinity.

Leo looked just as confused as she and Piper did, which Annabeth didn't take as a good sign. "Um… maybe? How cool would that be, right?"

The glare the other two gave him made him falter.

"Well," Piper began to lead them towards the alleyway entrance. "Let's check it out, find our way back." The bricks around them were a rust red, the floor a lifeless grey, and the dumpsters green and reeking.

Annabeth's senses were working overtime. "Wait," she froze, pulling Piper and Leo back behind a dumpster. "Trust me, here. And shut up guys." She softened her words with a distracted smile.

She didn't need to; Pipes and Leo trusted her. The three of them peered over the edge of the dumpster, quickly reinforcing each other's glamours, the tension building slowly.

Sounds of pursuit, the scuffling of feet and claws, could be heard, getting closer and louder.

"We should attack," Piper whispered.

"I know - believe me I live for moments where we get to yell 'attack.' But…" Annabeth didn't know how best to convey that she had a _feeling_ they should just watch. "But we were brought here by Leo's experiment." The noises got louder. "What if it…"

"Worked?" Leo snorted. A boy's shouting could be heard now, with a girl's voice answering back. "Is it really so hard for you to say that word?"

"Okay, so you're saying we're about to see some illegal magical activity," Piper said. Annabeth nodded, shivering with anticipation.

Right at that moment, the source of the noise came barging in. It was an unbelievable sight to Annabeth's eyes; a boy, tall and dark haired, and a girl with him, dark skinned, with hair the colour of gold coins and pennies. Three… _things_ chased them, half metal, with fiery hair and vampire claws.

"What sort of demon is that?" Annabeth gasped, her brain trying furiously to identify the horrible creatures, but for once coming up blank.

The boy and the girl skidded to a halt, noticing the alley was a dead end.

"Shit." The boy's sea green eyes shone brightly in the gloom.

"Language," the girl reprimanded, fanning herself slightly.

"Sorry, Hazel," he apologised, turning his back to Annabeth. "I'll distract the empousa, you -"

"Distract?" hissed one of the … empousa? Her voice was very feminine. "Like, by distract I hope you mean, 'I'll make a good meal for'. Because that's what you're about to be… How dare you reject my offer of a date?!"

"Gods, what are they? What's going on?" Annabeth whispered, her eyes still fixed on the scene in the alley.

"One," Leo tugged on her arm. "You mean, 'By the Angel.' Two, what _is_ going on? I can't see anything except two teens."

Annabeth looked at Leo, about to tell him to cut the jokes, but he looked completely confused. So did Piper.

Worst of all, Annabeth could see her horrified face reflected in their large, and utterly bewildered, eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** _Hi! Just wanted to say a special thank you to the 3 people who are following this story. That's really cool!_

 _So this is Chappie 2. I hope it's fun to read; again, it was really fun for me to write. Now, off I go - back to studying and getting other work done. : )_

* * *

 **II**

Thalia took a deep breath and momentarily held the picture of a storm in her mind. Thunder, lightning and winds that howled with maniacal glee. It wasn't a peaceful image, but for reasons she'd never been able to articulate, it strengthened her. Then she opened the door to the library and entered with purpose, the sound of her heels announcing her entrance.

Three Shadowhunters turned and glanced at her - Luke was there, smiling. But Thalia had known her boyfriend too long - he was tense.

With him was a scrawny boy, long and thin with a shock of white-blond hair. Thalia frowned, sure she hadn't met him before. He stood in the shadow of a tall woman; the Inquisitor. Thalia's frown deepened. She always hated these meetings.

The Inquisitor was as stylish as she was fierce. Her long dark hair was mostly pulled back in a tight bun, with a few loose curls arranged with painstaking precision around her face. Her outfit was black, unsurprisingly, but stylish. Her silver jewellery glistened and caught Thalia's eye every time the Inquisitor moved.

 _Geez, just what I need for my first meeting of the day - a barbie doll with attitude._ But aloud, Thalia said, "Inquisitor Tanaka. Drew. Pleasure." They shook hands.

"Thalia Grace." Drew inclined her head sideways. "I'd like you to meet my assistant. This is Octavian."

Thalia glanced at the scarecrow of a boy, Octavian, who gave her an oily smile. "Good evening, Thalia, ma'am."

Luke grabbed Thalia's hand instinctively as the four of them sat around a large wooden table, Thalia and Luke opposite Drew and Octavian.

"Long story short," Drew began, as Octavian started scribbling notes furiously on a piece of paper, "The murders remain unresolved. New York, LA, San Francisco… The list goes on. I don't suppose much has changed _here_ since the last time we talked?"

"You mean since just two weeks ago, when you sprang, err, I mean, _gave_ us the jurisdiction to look into this case? No," Luke answered, "Unfortunately not." He quickly shot Thalia a look.

Thalia pursed her lips. It was true they didn't have any leads yet, something that frustrated her to no end. Especially since the one hope they did have for a lead, Luke seemed hellbent on avoiding.

Drew's eyes narrowed. Thalia was sure she was going to call Luke out, but then she just shook her head. "Mmm. Well, about that… You don't have any idea what's going on. No other Institute does either. I think it's about time we got some _fresh_ perspective."

"Meaning the Clave is getting desperate," Thalia grunted.

Drew's eye twitched, ever so slightly. But Thalia noticed. "We're not desperate, no. We're just… being innovative about how we attempt to solve a case that's been stumping us for weeks."

"Innovative?" Thalia arched an eyebrow. "My mistake. So what's the _grand creative_ idea?"

Drew looked unimpressed with Thalia's sarcasm. "Chase," She said emphatically, as if she were speaking to a toddler. "Annabeth Chase. Your star pupil? The one doing even better in all tests than the students trained back at the Academy?" Drew rolled her eyes. "Sweetie," she said, her tone frosty, "Surely you agree it's time your Institute picked up it's game. After all, you're the one who called in with a false alarm last time." She glared at Thalia. "Wouldn't it be nice to actually have something useful to report this time? Prove your competency and all that?"

Thalia's hands were fists underneath the table. What she wouldn't give to punch Drew. Luke squeezed her knee gently, reminding her to stay calm.

"Fine," he agreed, the slight tremor in his voice the only hint to his anger. He was protective about Annabeth. They both were. "We'll get her involved. Although it isn't usually precedent to get young Shadowhunters mixed up in such dangerous business."

Drew laughed, a clear sound like bells. "Please. It's what they're trained for. Besides, it's not usually precedence to have Shadowhunters and Downworlders being murdered by forces that even _we_ can't see or fight."

Silence followed this.

Then, "Speaking of Chase." Drew sniffed. "Where is she?

x

Annabeth stared at Leo and Piper in shock.

"Yeah, I'm just seeing two humans out there," Piper confirmed.

"Should we just go out and talk to them?" Leo began, but Annabeth clutched his arm, holding her finger to her lips. She stared back at the scene in the alley.

The empousai creatures - whatever they were called - were approaching the boy and the girl. They _had_ to be real - Annabeth could see their hair flickering, hear it crackling like the giant flame it was. She could even smell a stench that was sweet and rotten, that was no doubt coming from _them_ _._ No, Annabeth trusted her senses.

Besides, she wasn't the only one who could see the empousai. The boy and the girl faced the creatures. Annabeth could clearly see the tension in their shoulders.

The boy held up what looked like a hockey stick. "Anytime now, Hazel, and I'll be singing your praises for the rest of my life."

"Well, for _you_ that amounts to a grand total of 30 seconds," hissed the lead empousa. "Say hello to Hades for me!" She snarled and lunged, just as the ground trembled beneath the feet of the remaining empousai - who were suddenly, inexplicably, _gone._

Annabeth's eyes widened, shocked but still trying to drink all the details in. The earth itself had opened up and swallowed the empousai whole. "Did you seriously not see that?" she demanded of Piper and Leo.

"Actually," Piper frowned, "I think I did. It's like… It's like I'm a mundane. I really have to focus..."

"Yeah, it's getting clearer now..." Leo trailed off, awe filling his voice.

But Annabeth didn't have to try to focus - she could clearly see the girl, Hazel, collapse on the ground, breathing heavily. She could just as clearly see the remaining empousa, the one who had lunged for the boy, grab him by the throat and knock him to the ground; he lifted his hockey stick at the last moment. It was now the only thing between her claws and his soft neck.

"Hazel - some help!" He grunted.

"Percy -" Hazel wheezed. "I'm - on - it-" But clearly the poor girl was too exhausted to actually follow through.

Annabeth jumped on top of the dumpster and named a seraph blade, throwing it at the empousa. It flew true and sank into the Empousa's right ribs, burying itself hilt deep.

The Empousa glanced at the blade, her expression a mixture of mild surprise and annoyance, and used her left hand to effortlessly yank the weapon out.

Annabeth's mind was blown - if this creature wasn't a demon, what was? Yet the Empousa's hands didn't burn as she handled the blade, and she had absolutely no wound.

The Empousa glared at Annabeth. "And just what," she growled, "do you think _you're_ doing _?_ "

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing."

With an effort, the boy - Percy - grunted and shoved the Empousa back. She snatched his hockey stick from him and snapped it in half. "Oopsies. Looks like you're out of weapons." When she grinned, pointed fangs caught the light.

"Percy - catch." Hazel threw something that glistened golden; Percy grabbed it and whipped it at the Empousa with incredible speed and ferocity - it went straight through the Empousa's chest and nailed her like a poster to the alley wall behind.

She howled in misery as she crumbled into dust, a light breeze moving into the alley, to slowly begin blowing her away.

 _"Damn."_ Leo whistled appreciatively. "Just… damn, man. Damn."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, as Leo and Piper got out from behind the dumpster.

"What did I just see?" Leo continued, shaking his head in amazement. "Or not see, to be more accurate?" He looked at the boy and girl with interest. "Hazel, right?" He pointed at the girl, who was slowly recovering. "And Percy?" He pointed at the boy.

Neither of them answered. Percy exchanged a look with Hazel that Annabeth couldn't see.

"Leo," Piper chided, "They're probably overwhelmed. They've just fought off…" She faltered. "Well, that's the question, isn't it?"

"Empousa," Annabeth answered, jumping down onto the alley floor. Percy was taller than she was; she had to look up at him. "They've just fought off Empousa." She met his gaze, then Hazel's. "Are you alright?" she asked them both. "Any injuries?"

"We're fine." Percy nodded, helping Hazel up. He stared at Annabeth's blade, resting a few feet away. "Bit of a useless weapon, huh?"

"Not normally." Annabeth flushed. Huh. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been embarrassed lately - which was probably related to the fact that she couldn't remember the last time she'd been useless in a battle either. "It's a real dangerous weapon. My advice: best not to touch. It can burn if you're not… well, you know." She went and grabbed her blade.

"Right, sure. I know. Don't need to tell me twice. Well, if it's all the same to you." He gave Annabeth a bemused look, then offered Leo and Piper a small wave. "We'll be off." Percy and Hazel slid past Annabeth.

"Damn!" Leo yelled. "I mean - wait!"

"He's right - hold it," Annabeth warned. Percy and Hazel stopped, glancing wearily back at the three Shadowhunters. Annabeth narrowed her eyes. Something about this guy's harmless act seemed… well, like an _act._ "What are you?"

Percy and Hazel exchanged another glance.

"What are _you?_ " Hazel asked, looking like she couldn't help herself. "Those tattoos look quite… purposeful."

"I thought we didn't need to tell you twice?" Annabeth shot Percy a pointed look.

He shrugged, giving a small, lazy grin.

"You seriously don't know?" Leo said. "Man, and you guys call yourself Downworlders?"

"No," Hazel pointed out. "We don't."

"Look," Annabeth said. "We're not the bad guys here. Help us make sense of this situation. What are you?"

Percy gave her a slow once over, his eyes assessing.

"Human," he finally said.

"Bullshit."

"Fine." He sighed, holding up his hands. "But if you really want answers, I don't know why you're wasting your time with _us._ Why don't you try asking _them?_ " He pointed behind Annabeth, toward the dark shadows that were draped over the large brick wall blocking the back of the alley. Scuffling and crackling could be heard.

Annabeth, Piper and Leo whipped around, senses on high alert, coming face to face with… no one. Stones, shadow, brick, but certainly no people.

"What do you -" Annabeth swivelled around to find that Hazel and Percy were gone.

Leo whistled again. "They got moves."

But Annabeth's feet were already moving, taking her out of the alley. It opened up into a wide street, deserted at this time of night. Lamps were lit, spilling light in small pools. Annabeth thought she saw some movement in another alley at the other end of the street, but she couldn't be sure. And now she knew she'd forgotten something in her rush to set off earlier that evening - her keen sight rune.

"It's not worth it," Piper said, appearing by Annabeth's side.

"But -"

"Whoever they were, they're clearly not bad creatures. I think they want to avoid Shadowhunters."

"Can you blame them?" Leo muttered, arriving as well, his voice unusually serious. But when Annabeth glanced back at him, he gave her his usual impish smile.

"Let's just leave it be," Piper sighed.

"Fine." Leo shrugged, but Annabeth could see curiosity dancing in his eyes like flames. If Annabeth were to hazard a guess, she would bet that, in that moment, his eyes were a mirror of her own.

x

Percy and Hazel were nearly home free, just crossing from one deserted street to another, when he saw her. He'd had his suspicions they were being followed for a few blocks now, so he wasn't surprised. He lightly grabbed Hazel's shoulder as they walked, and spoke in a low murmur.

"Don't look now, but one of those tattooed people - I'm betting the blonde one - is on the roof of the building behind us. Keep walking though. Nice and slow now. Don't let on, yeah."

"What's the plan? Should I use the mist?" Hazel didn't miss a beat.

Percy thought about this. "Nah. Doesn't always work on humans or demigods. This is what we're going to do. Split up. Use the mist on yourself, sure, and I'll get in touch with you and the Camp tomorrow sometime."

"Percy," Hazel whispered, clearly about to argue.

Percy cut her off. "I'll be fine, kid." He paused, smiling because he knew Hazel hated being called 'kid'. She was deceptively older than she looked. "Take care." He went to the right, pretending to yell goodbye loudly. _Damn, I'd make a good actor,_ he thought smugly.

At first, it seemed like his plan worked. He could hear the odd noise every now and then, so assumed he was still being followed. But he couldn't see anyone anymore, hard as he tried, and over time, his uneasiness grew.

After about fifteen minutes, he was about to ring Hazel to make sure she hadn't been tailed instead of him, when someone - and right on his money, a blonde someone - jumped out in front of him.

Percy stumbled back, feigning shock, as the blonde girl with dark tattoos around her arms, neck and shoulders, glared at him. Strands of bright hair framed her face. Her eyes were steel. So was her voice.

"Enjoying your walk?" she demanded.

"Less so now." Percy smiled sheepishly. "May I at least know the name of my lovely stalker?"

"Annabeth." The girl scowled, folding her arms. "And I'm not a stalker. I'm an... investigator."

"Annabeth." Percy tried it out. "Unique name." He tilted his head. "So. What would it take for you to leave me alone, Annabeth?"

"Answering my questions."

"What obligation am I under to do that?"

"This is an investigation!"

"Oh, _you're_ with the police?" Sarcasm dripped from his every word.

"I'm with someone even more dangerous than the police," Annabeth replied darkly. Percy believed her.

He grinned. Getting out of this would be a challenge. He liked challenges. "You're a supernatural creature," he decided.

She looked a little surprised, as if she'd never thought of herself that way. But she didn't deny it.

"Okay, here's my deal," Percy continued. "I'll swear to whatever entity you like - because every supernatural creature has at least one thing that'll scare them into honesty - to tell you, _honestly,_ what I am. In return, you do the same. You tell me what you are."

Annabeth's eyes flashed. Whether she was mad or excited, or both, Percy could only guess. "Deal." She said.

"Ladies first."

Annabeth shrugged. "I swear by the Angel, I am a Shadowhunter. Your turn." The way that she said it, with such ease, made Percy think it was something she already expected him to know.

"I swear, by the Styx, _I am human._ " He let that sink in. Annabeth's eyes widened. "That's right, detective Annabeth. I'm human. 100% vulnerable human. No bull, no shit." He spread his hands wide and shrugged. "And, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say your Shadowhunter rules are against letting humans know about you, etc etc."

Annabeth blinked, her face blank. "But… How…?"

"Oh, all supernatural creatures, essentially, have the same rules don't they? So, technically, I _can't_ be part of your investigation. For all you know, I didn't see Empousai back there. My human mind may have convinced me I was just fighting some wild dogs." Percy shrugged. "I mean, it'd be your word against mine." Percy winked, squeezed her shoulder and passed her.

Annabeth reminded him of a lion right then; beautiful, fierce and ready to bite his head off. "Chin up, wise girl. It's called a hustle."

And with that, Percy headed off, whistling loudly as he continued down the street, just to annoy her that teensy bit more.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hi everyone! It's been a while, I know. I'm sorry for the long wait, but here's a nice long chapter to make up for it. Again, this was another fun chapter to write. (: As always, any feedback/suggestions are welcome. And speaking of feedback, three of you lovelies wrote some reviews (yay!) I thought I'd reply to them all now.

To Thingygazinga: Yes exactly! : D Haha, I loved that film.

To Ameliads: Thank you so much 3 Yes, I will, sometimes slowly, but surely! (I'm on holiday for a bit now though, so theres that... (; )

To Kyuubi-dono: your review had me grinning like nobody's business! xxx

And, again, thanks to you all for reading and enjoying!

* * *

 **III**

Annabeth could only imagine Percy's surprise when he looked up and saw her there, sitting at a table expectantly. Arms crossed. 100% focused on him (no easy feat, considering her ADHD).

It had been two weeks since she'd last seen him, in an encounter that had left her more than a little humiliated and more than a little frustrated. Two weeks. Fourteen days. She'd been through a lot in that time.

It had been exactly thirteen days since Inquisitor Tanaka had filled her in on the Clave's request – their desire to have her, along with some of the other brightest Shadowhunters around the country, involved in a very puzzling case. It had been only twelve days since her argument with Luke and Thalia, after she'd found out they'd known about this case the whole time and had chosen _not_ to include her - or even inform her. That had really hurt. They'd always shared everything with her… The three of them were meant to be a _team_.

Ten days had passed since she'd had a stressful encounter and started delving into this case on her own, no longer keeping the Clave informed on every single investigatory act. Five days since she'd met a warlock who'd actually been able to help her out; the first Downworlder she'd come across who'd recognised Percy's face.

All those hours searching, thinking, planning. And it had lead her here of all places. An overcrowded Starbucks, a seat that was already warm when she'd chosen to sit down on it (yech) and one not so promising and extremely aggravating lead.

Annabeth suppressed an irritated sigh. Not excelling made her cranky, and right now she was definitely _not_ excelling. But Annabeth knew she could handle this. This was her job. Performing under pressure was what she was trained to do.

She'd get this sorted. Luke might not believe in her. The case might have turned out to be a hell of a lot more complicated than she'd thought. But she'd figure it out. She had to.

Percy, for his part, took his time getting to Annabeth's table. She rolled her eyes. _Could you be any slower?_ The look she gave him was pointed. Finally, he stood in front of her, green and black, hair and eyes, uniform and apron. His name badge read PERSEUS.

"How's it going ma'am?" He winked, a cheerful tone to his voice. Annabeth was inwardly amused at his attempt to pretend they'd never met. "Sorry it took so long getting to you. But you know you're meant to order your food and drinks at the counter, right?"

"Didn't you see me waving at you?" Annabeth demanded, sweeping her hand above her phone and notebook, both carefully set down on the brown café table, in an impatient gesture. "I've been waiting for half an hour." She narrowed her eyebrows.

Percy snorted. He dusted his hands on his apron, which had a picture of a seaweed and kale smoothie that Starbucks was selling for the summer. "Yeah, and I'm also a brain surgeon. Listen, I saw you walk in, sit down and incessantly wave at me for five minutes. Ten tops. In my defense, every other customer stood in line to place their order. I thought you'd catch on."

But Annabeth had already stopped listening, immediately dropping her angry demeanor. She smiled at the boy brightly. "Take a seat, Percy." She moved a chair back with her foot, inviting him to join her table. "Can I call you that? Or do you prefer Perseu—"

"Percy," he replied firmly, "is fine." He hesitated, looking at her warily. Finally, he sneaked a glance at a woman Annabeth assumed was his manager. The lady was dressed in the usual uniform, her green apron smudged with brown coffee stains. Percy watched carefully as she moved off to take a break. Satisfied she was gone, he sat down. "That name tag needs to be replaced. I go by Percy." He looked at Annabeth thoughtfully. She got the feeling he was deciding between admitting they'd met before, or continuing to play dumb. This guy was quite the actor.

"Well, _Percy._ " Annabeth picked up her phone, carefully turning the screen away from him. "I hope you remember me."

Percy hesitated a second longer, then sighed. "Yeah, all right." He nodded, smiling sheepishly. "I'll admit it." He leaned back and threw an arm casually over his chair. "So, what, just couldn't stay away? Dying to see me again?" A single black eyebrow was raised. "Don't tell me I make a better impression than I think?"

Annabeth laughed, despite herself. "Oh, don't worry, you make the exact opposite of a good impression. Which is exactly why I'm here." She pointed at him with her phone. "I'm a Shadowhunter, as you know. Hopefully you've had time to learn all about us, because I need your help with some murders."

Percy scoffed. "You're wasting my time, _wise girl_." There was that stupid name again, accompanied by his usual sarcastic tone. "And your own. Might have to change your nickname now. I'm human, remember? Off limits."

"I've decided I'm not playing by the rules."

Percy looked at her. "Nah. No way. You're not a rule breaker." He leaned in close, keeping his voice low. "You're an overachiever. I can tell just by looking at you. No way would you step a toe out of line. And even if you decide today's the day you're going to, I'm not co operating. There's no way you can make me. It's your—"

"I know, I know." Annabeth kept her tone low too. "Your word against mine, blah blah blah." She sighed. "If only there was something I could do about that…" She started tapping her chin with her phone. "Oh, wait. That's right!" She dangled the phone. "I've been recording our conversation on this lovely device. Shadowhunters are really in love with apple products, you know?" She grinned slyly. "Well, I'm turning the recording off now. And it's recorded you saying you can see me. Now, the funny thing is, you shouldn't be able to. I've put a glamour on, see." She carefully pulled away the collar of her plain black t shirt, exposing the tanned skin of her shoulder, and a rune. Bold and dark, it glared at Percy. He looked away, a little flushed. "No one here in this entire place can see me – given they're truly human that is." Annabeth watched Percy, as the truth of her words sunk in. She didn't need to do anything to prove her last sentence. Percy suddenly became aware that the few people in the crowded shop that had actually noticed him, were looking at him in a concerned manner and whispering about the 'strange employee sitting talking to himself'.

She put her phone safely in her pocket and flipped the notebook. It made a satisfyingly loud bang, landing open on the page she had bookmarked. It held a photo of her, Leo, Piper, Percy and Hazel, taken in the alley. "Someone approached me and showed me this." She continued. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice as best she could. "This person has somehow taken photos of my friends and I, on the night we met you. This… This is not good. It'll get someone important to me in a lot of trouble. The person who took these photos… Well, they'll show the originals to my superiors unless I really get onto this case. It'll cause some issues for me. It'll cause issues for my friend. _And I don't allow people to hurt my friends_." Annabeth's voice turned to steel. She glared at the photo, a lot of pent up anger bubbling inside her. "And unfortunately for you, Percy," she pointed at him. "These photos include you and your buddy. Hazel, right? Believe me, Shadowhunters _will_ be curious. And mark my words, my superiors will be a LOT less pleasant than I am." She glanced at his green apron again. "And guess what seaweed brain," she added, "I don't get the actual photos back until this case is solved. Which means _you_ need to cooperate and _answer my questions about your friends_."

Percy's mouth hung open. His eyes were wide. For once his face wasn't a mask, quite clearly showing the one thought running around in his brain: _seriously?!_

"Well, shit," he managed weakly. "I find it hard to believe that anyone could be more savage than you."

And despite herself, despite the seriousness of the situation, Annabeth had to admit she was fighting off a smile. Well, damn. For the first time in these long two weeks, she'd had a bit of fun. She'd hustled the hustler.

* * *

Leo Valdez knocked on Piper's door for a full five minutes before she finally opened up.

"Leo," she yawned. Through the slit she had opened, Leo could see her disheveled room. Her notes and history texts were strewn everywhere; a hurricane of knowledge. Ugly illustrations of green, prickly creatures stared back at him. Clearly, unlike him, she was actually studying for the Demonic History test they had in two days. "What's up? Thought we weren't meeting up for lunch anymore."

"Yeah, well I finished my experiments early. So I thought if you wanted to grab a bite…" Leo shrugged.

Piper's multicolored eyes crinkled in concern. "Okay. Sure."

"Whoa whoa, don't turn those pity stares on me, _reina de belleza!"_ Leo raised his hands. "I'm fine." But he wasn't. He experiments hadn't gone well, and Piper could always tell.

"I wasn't giving you – I mean, who says 'pity stares' anyway?" She rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork, Leo." Piper stepped out of her room, grabbing her wallet off her bookshelf as she went.

"Where's Annabeth?" Leo asked. "We can see if she's up for some food too."

"She's off trying to get in touch with that boy," Piper explained, as the two of them walked out of the Institute. "Percy, I think his name was. Anyway, she's hoping that he'll be able to connect some dots."

"Because the Shadowhunters are being murdered by something no one can see," Leo said.

"Ssh!" Piper squeezed his arm, as they walked past the entrance to the main library, imploring him to keep his voice down. No doubt Inquisitor Tanaka would be in there, lecturing Octavian or some other poor sucker, pointing at various reports and blueprints that she had pined up with a stick equally as long as the one up her butt. (Yeah, Leo and Drew did not get along.) "You know we're not supposed to know…" That was also true – Annabeth wasn't meant to have told them about the case she was working on. But she didn't keep much from Leo and Piper.

"So she thinks this boy might know something about the deaths? Does she think he's responsible?"

Piper sighed. "Well, you were off doing your tinkering, so you didn't hear her whole reasoning. I mean, she was already curious about him and his friend, Hazel, when we first met them."

"Yeah, but that was before she was given the case. And that was because those Empousai were a new type of demon, and _we_ originally had trouble seeing things." Leo gestured between them. "I doubt Percy and his copper haired friend are murdering Shadowhunters. Although," he paused. "I guess you never know."

Piper grimaced. "She doesn't think he's the murderer, no. But she's running out of leads. Maybe he knows about other creatures Shadowhunters might have trouble seeing…" She sighed. "You know what's – well, anyway."

Leo paused. By this point they were well and truly out of the Institute and were halfway to their favorite eatery, the Festus Grill. The cold air in the street whipped back Piper's hair as she frowned at him. The sunlight was so bright, he had to squint to see her properly. "Why're you stopping Leo?"

"I… Look, nothing. No reason." Leo forced a grin. Then he laughed, to really sell it. He playfully threw an arm around Piper. "Let's keep moving, BQ."

"Ugh, don't call me that."

"How about BBQ?"

"Better than beauty queen." She elbowed him.

They continued bantering as they made their way to Festus, but deep inside, Leo's apprehension was growing. He knew what Piper had been about to say earlier. _And you know what's at stake._ Him. _He_ was at stake - his reputation vs the Clave's wrath. And his friends were sticking up for him, protecting him – especially Annabeth.

He felt guilty at the thought of the experiments he'd carried out that day, and the next ones he was planning. And he knew, that no matter how difficult it would be, today he'd have to come clean.

* * *

"So," Percy huffed. He was in the passenger seat, arms folded, legs on the dashboard. "Let's get this straight. There are Shadowhunters being murdered, and no one sees these murders happen. So no one knows what or who is responsible?"

"Not just Shadowhunters," Annabeth corrected. "Downworlders too."

"Right, of course. 'Downworlders'." Percy rolled his eyes. He continued his recap. "And your fancy demon fighting gear can't detect any traces of 'magic' on the corpses. Neither can a group of brothers who are part of the mime appreciation society. Well, there's a shock for you."

"The silent brothers," Annabeth corrected again, through gritted teeth, "are _not_ mimes. They're the stuff of nightmares."

"We have very different nightmares then," Percy said. "So, those pictures with us in them, they're bad for your friend, err, Leo? Because of he routinely experiments with magic and gadgets. Your superiors would count this as his third strike or whatever. Goodbye, Latino demon hunter, hello, sad friends?"

"Right." It was a good thing Annabeth was driving. Otherwise she'd love to elbow Percy right now. "The photos show the three of us at a hotel, miles away from the alleyway where we met you. The photos also show the hotel crumbling, and then us in the alley. There's even an accompanying video. The Shadowhunters would be doubly mad – firstly, because Leo's playing with magic again. Secondly, because the Downworlders have got proof of it."

"Downworlders," Percy murmured thoughtfully. "You mean, the warlock that approached you with these blackmailing photos?"

"Yes." Annabeth nodded stiffly.

"You aren't curious about how he got those photos in the first place? How he was in two places at once?"

"You think he's willing to share that information with me?"

"Fair enough," Percy amended.

Annabeth sighed. "The Clave would be humiliated. That often drives them to give the worst punishments."

"I thought you Shadowhunters police magical people though?"

"But we don't use magic, per say," Annabeth explained. Her heart fluttered guiltily, as she thought of her invisibility hat, hidden in a shoebox in her bedroom. "For some stupid reason, it's strictly forbidden."

"And, bearing in mind that I truly am a human who happens, as you now know, to _simply_ have exceptionally good sight, you want me to tell you all about my friend Hazel and the monsters chasing us in the alleyway?"

"I searched up Empousai," Annabeth told him. "Googled it." She watched him carefully from the corner of her eye. "It's a Greek term."

Percy shrugged. "Yeah."

"Interesting. Does it mean anything?"

Percy just shrugged again.

Annabeth sighed. She knew it probably meant very little. Even Shadowhunter demon names were taken from the mythology of other cultures. "Percy, you need to answer these questions."

"I told you, I need more time to consider all of this."

"I gave you until the end of your shift!"

"That wasn't enough time," Percy argued back.

"I'm not going to target or harass your friends if they're innocent. You don't need to hold back to protect them."

"They _are_ innocent," Percy insisted. "But…" He suddenly faltered, and looked away. He was holding back information.

Annabeth groaned. She indicated left and changed lanes. Currently she was driving the two of them to the site where the bodies of the murdered Shadowhunters were being kept. Fortunately, she hadn't known anyone who was murdered personally. Regardless, she always dreaded this part of her work. Investigating corpses. She shuddered.

The location they were heading to wasn't the Institute, but rather a warehouse close to the Silent City. As they weren't able to recognize traces of anything remotely related to the Shadow World on the murdered Shadowhunters, the silent brothers had been reluctant to allow the bodies back into the silent city.

"Fine, we'll stick to the original plan. I'll show you the bodies and you can tell me what you think killed them. Some of them have clues. Scratches, burns, that sort of thing."

"Deal," Percy grunted grudgingly. "Don't forget though – you swore on your Angel, the moment you get those original photos back, they're burned."

"Well, no shit," Annabeth muttered under her breath.

They drove on.

* * *

"I'm expecting the place to be empty around now," Annabeth explained to Percy, the two of them sitting in her parked car. They were right outside the warehouse. "You definitely couldn't pass as a Shadowhunter, so we'll just say you're a Warlock, if anyone asks."

"Why can't I pass as one of you?"

"Marks." Annabeth peeled up the arm of her long sleeved t shirt, revealing thin silver scars, the remains of marks once etched into her skin. "Black, or silver. You don't have either. And, your aura. You can usually tell who's a Shadowhunter with a glance."

Percy stared at her arm for a moment longer, then at her face. "Are we expecting to run into many people?" His eyes reminded Annabeth of the ocean, giving nothing away about what was stirring underneath. He looked unbothered, and a little sarcastic, as usual.

"Hopefully none. But there's always one guard out front. So just follow my lead. Warlock's usually have some sort of sign that marks them as… err, special. Like blue skin. We'll pretend you have webbed feet or something.

"Now if a fight breaks out," she continued. "I can run through some basic manoeuvres with you –"

Percy held up a hand. "I'm used to dangerous situations. I've been in my fair share of knockouts. Err, just to be clear – where I've knocked _other_ people out."

"But you're a human. So remember we can add runes for extra strength, speed and sight."

Percy lifted an eyebrow. "If I had a nickel for every person who underestimated me, I could pay my way through a marine science degree."

"Future goals?" Annabeth asked, startled at his choice of comparison.

Percy looked away, looking as if he regretted his words. "Ready to get this thing done?"

Annabeth hesitated. "Fine. Let's go."

Naturally, it went disastrously from the very beginning. Annabeth had been hoping to see Luke, Thalia, or even Michael Kahale on duty. Instead, Drew Tanaka's poodle, Octavian, was on guard. He stood inside the foyer of the building, absently checking some reports on his MacBook pro. When he noticed Annabeth come in, he smiled. Annabeth shivered. The guy's smile was so oily you could deep fry a churro in it. His oily smile became suspicious as he took in Percy.

"We don't allow mundanes to be involved, Annabeth," he sniffed. "Ever."

Percy snorted. "And yet without mundanes you'd be out of a job, wouldn't you? Who'd you protect?" He paused thoughtfully. "Although, I guess maybe then you'd finally admit that it's not the humans, but yourselves, that all these 'Downworld laws' are in place to protect."

Octavian's mouth could not have opened wider if they'd tried to stuff a whole turkey in it. Even Annabeth was impressed at the way Percy had delivered this practiced insult. He was selling this act better than she could've imagined.

"The name's Peter," Percy grinned. "Warlock. Obviously."

"He may have some insight to offer," Annabeth explained. "I just want to him to take a look at some of the evidence."

Octavian's face reddened. "Fine. But remember, we're only meant to include Downworlders in our investigation on a need by need basis." He glared at them. "You know how we feel about _his type_." Octavian took in Percy's ripped, scruffy jeans, his plain grey t shirt, his green sneakers. "Though he still looks more like a dirty thug that a warlock to me," Octavian muttered under his breath.

To her surprise, Annabeth felt anger boiling up inside her. She was about to open her mouth, give a retort, but Percy beat her to it.

"That's not very nice," he replied amiably. "I mean, _you_ look more like an ass than a Shadowhunter to me, but it's not like I'm going around announcing this. It would be an insult to asses if I did, you see."

Annabeth groaned internally as Octavian started spluttering, unable to wrap his head around the insult. "Okay, well, let's go then." She grabbed Percy's shoulders and quickly began steering him to a door on their left.

"Stop!" Octavian finally managed to utter some coherent words. "You – You –" His eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. Where's your Warlock mark?"

Annabeth knew Octavian must be really pissed off to be asking this. Normally, it was considered a rude and prying question. "If you're insinuating I, Annabeth Chase, a highly trained Shadowhunter, can't recognize a Warlock when I see one—"

"Yes," Octavian snapped. "I am. Where's your mark, Peter?" His eyes narrowed. "Show me. Show me right now."

Annabeth gulped, her mind trying furiously to come up with some excuse. "I…" _I've got nothing_.

"Relax." Percy put a calm hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "I don't mind showing him." He grinned at Octavian mischievously. "The kid wants to see my mark. I mean, it's in a kinda inappropriate place, but …" Percy shrugged, his hands moving to unbuckle his pants. The rim of the guy's black boxers was already peeking up.

Octavian's reaction was priceless. His entire face became redder than a beetroot.

"NO!" He closed his eyes and stumbled backwards, crashing into a table. "Oh! My toe! Stubbed my toe! Oh god, just go – never mind!"

Percy chuckled, and Annabeth was so relieved she almost could've kissed the guy in that moment. "Move," she hissed, shoving him towards the door. They both stepped into another hallway.

But worst of all, for Annabeth at least, was Octavian recovering enough to shriek, " _And I don't even want to_ know _how you two met!_ "

The door slammed shut after his words, leaving Annabeth and Percy staring at each other. Percy was grinning triumphantly. "Face it wise girl, you're lucky to have me."

"You're right. Only a seaweed brain could come up with an idea like that," She retorted, shoving him further down the hall. But, admittedly, she did have a small grin on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

"SO, what does it mean?" Annabeth asked Percy. He just shushed her and continued moving around the tables. The drab grey room held three other Shadowhunters, all … gone. Annabeth couldn't bear looking at them. She'd never felt comfortable with the emotions she felt when doing so (regardless of whether she'd known the fallen personally.) She also knew she was jumping the gun by asking Percy to start explaining things now - they'd planned to discuss his findings with Piper and Leo later - but she was curious. Plus, she would've welcomed the distraction. Instead of conversation, she now needed to find something else to preoccupy her mind.

So she focused on Percy. The way he walked, as he moved around the room. The way his hair flicked into his eyes, completely out of control. His face with his eyebrows knitted in concentration, his tanned skin and blue-green eyes reminding her unfailingly of the seaside…. For a mundane, she had to admit he was pretty fit.

Percy caught her staring. "See something you like?"

Annabeth pointed. "Do you have a tattoo?" Some black marks were peeking out underneath the sleeve of his shirt, which had hitched up on his arm.

He firmly but neatly yanked his sleeve down. "Nope."

Annabeth decided to let it slide. She knew they didn't have too much time to waste in here.

"So what, you just like staring at me?" Percy asked, as he continued to type out notes on his phone. He was examining the bodies with a seriousness Annabeth found surprising. Not that she wasn't thankful - she needed him to be putting his best effort in.

Annabeth grunted. "Better you than…"

"Ah. Right. _Them_." Percy nodded at the deceased Shadowhunter in front of him. "Well, it's no picnic for me either."

"I know." Annabeth paused. "Sorry." Percy met her gaze, for the first time seeming to realize how uncomfortable she was.

"You okay?" Percy frowned.

"Yes." Annabeth shrugged. "It's just unnerving."

Percy laughed, but without real humor. "Oh, this is nothing. You should meet my friend Ni-" He froze. "I mean -"

Annabeth waved him off. "Don't even bother, Percy. Just write what you need to and we can argue about your friends later." She glanced at the clock in the room, wondering how much longer they could risk. She figured it would only be a matter of time before Octavian finished nursing his wounded ego and barged in on them. And in any case, she wanted to leave before Octavian switched duty with someone else – the more Shadowhunters that saw Percy, the greater their risk of being foiled.

Percy pointed behind her. "Last one to investigate."

"Good." Annabeth checked her own phone. "Leo and Piper are already at Festus."

* * *

Festus Grill was bustling that evening, full of Downworlders celebrating the beginning of the weekend. On the outside, it was a simple brick building, a faded crimson colour that made the establishment look inconspicuous, if somewhat sinister.

But once you were inside it was a completely different story. The crowd of rowdy Downworlders was spilled throughout the entire eatery; which had two stories, plus an outdoor seating area wrapped by a garden.

Spanish music was playing as wait staff carried trays every which way. Underneath the cheerful music, one could hear peals of laughter, the heated tones of arguments and the satisfied shakes following the confirmation of deals (of both the honest and shady variety).

Outside, the trees were darker than the dull evening colours, but were adorned with cheerful lights the colour of flames – red, orange, yellow. The scent of smoke and fire was in the air, and the breeze was cool but not cold.

Percy had seen a lot in his life, but he had never seen _this_. And he had never expected himself to be here - seated at the Festus Grill, in an outdoor booth for four, with three Shadowhunters. Annabeth, Leo and Piper. They were scanning the menus, deciding what to order, and on the surface – so was he.

But Percy's mind was racing a thousand miles an hour. That morning, he'd been looking at the rear end of a long, soul leeching shift at Starbucks. Now, he was looking at the rear end of a much fouler beast – Shadowhunter politics. He hadn't known much about Shadowhunters before he and Hazel had run into this bunch earlier, but since then he'd made it his policy to find out. And, boy, had he been surprised by what he'd found…

"I'm going for the Loco Taco," Piper decided, her finger pointing it out on the mauve menu.

"Pizza for me," Annabeth decided. "Anyone want to share?"

"Make it a large and you got yourself a deal," Percy jumped in. In all honesty he was so hungry he probably could have eaten two large pizzas himself, but he didn't have much cash on him. "I'll split the cost with you."

"I want the sushi platter," Leo said. "So great. That's us all sorted then. I'll um, I'll just go place our orders at the counter. Oh, they're busy tonight –" Leo explained, catching sight of Annabeth's raised eyebrow, "- who knows how long it'll take for a waiter to be free."

Percy frowned. He didn't know Leo well, but the guy seemed a little nervous.

"Nah, I'll go." Annabeth stood up. "You're blocked in by Piper anyway. Besides," Annabeth looked ahead and sighed, "I can see Mike Kahale coming over."

Annabeth rushed off and moments later, a handsome guy with dark skin and chocolate brown hair stopped by their table. He made polite small talk with Leo and Piper, who introduced Percy as Peter the Warlock.

"Ah, hi Peter. I'm Micheal Kahale…" He looked expectantly at the three of them, as if hoping someone else would pop up from under the table. "Er, good weather we've having, isn't it?"

But the conversation soon died off. Having no other reason to linger, he eventually wandered off again, looking disappointed.

"Poor Mike," Piper sighed. "Really wears his heart on his sleeve, doesn't he?"

"So you're all Shadowhunters?" Percy asked, studying the two in front of him, thinking about how much he was willing to reveal… "You must be pretty stressed about this case."

Piper's eyes reminded Percy of painted glass murals he'd seen in New Rome, they reflected so many colours. And they looked just as fragile. But her voice was strong. "We'll find a way through it. We always do." Percy felt a twinge of… something. Not pity – he never pitied people. He wasn't a hypocrite after all. But he did feel some empathy for this group. He'd be furious if anyone threatened his closest friends.

Leo squirmed. "Yeah. Hey, I gotta take a whiz."

"Right here?" Piper asked, reaching for a breadstick. Percy grinned.

"Yes, right here," Leo said, rolling his eyes. He gave Percy a wry look: _see what I have to deal with?_ "Not the bathroom that's less than a minute away – no, for _me_ the real kick comes from getting banned from public restaurants."

"Salty, man," Percy chuckled.

"Thanks, dude, I try." Leo gave a quick grin, as Piper stood up to let him out from the booth. Percy noticed his hands were shaking slightly.

"Is he all right?" He asked Piper, as she sat back down. "Is he stressed about this warlock that's threatened you? I've there's a lot on the line for him."

"Well, the Warlock has only spoken to Annabeth," Piper explained. "Not Leo or I. But you're right, my Parabatai is acting odd." Her eyes followed Leo suspiciously as he walked away. "And there is a lot at stake for him, what with his bad track record for experiments that don't strictly abide by the Clave rules."

"Right. Experiments with magic." Percy nodded. "So Annabeth had to deal with that threat all on her own? That's tough – well, all of this is – for all of you guys, really. Your government seems like it'll come down on you pretty hard." He paused, considering. "Out of curiosity, how old are you guys?"

"18," Piper said. "About the same age as you – I'm guessing?"

Percy just nodded.

Annabeth arrived then, followed by a waiter who was wearing the most unusual clothes. Underneath his apron was the baggiest puffy shirt Percy had ever seen, tucked into tight leather pants. And if his outfit wasn't embarrassing enough – to top it all off, the guy had a mullet hairstyle. It was enough to tip him from the 'ridiculous' category into the 'utter buffoon' one. "And then, on my days off, I'm just at ze gym. Impressed, misname?" Captain Puffy drawled.

Percy decided his fake French accent boosted him into the 'utterly ridiculous buffoon' category.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Annabeth replied, her eyes glazed with a tree trunk thick layer of boredom. "Zethes, this is my table."

"Oh, right, sure." Zethes placed down the trays of food. Annabeth was helping him; she carried one large pizza platter in each hand.

"Dig in, guys," she grinned, shoving one platter in front of Percy.

Zethes glanced at Percy and frowned. "Annie, my dear, zis is not Mikhale, no?"

Annabeth's face visibly clenched. "His name was Michael, not Mikhale and my name is _not_ Annie."

But Zethes had already grown distracted. "Ah, Piper! My two favourite Shadow- 'unters, zis is just great!"

Another waitress bustled past, and gave Zethes a pointed glare: move on. "Oh hi, Zethes." Piper struggled to hide her disappointment. "Err, looks like you have tables to wait. So, um, bye!"

"Ah, not to worry - it is not true parting! I'll be sure to stop by later – after all, I'd hate for you not to be able to properly indulge in the real reason you came here." He winked, grabbing Piper's hand and giving it a kiss goodbye, doing the same for Annabeth and giving Percy a disinterested pat on the head.

Piper and Annabeth mimicked vomiting as he waddled off. Percy didn't know whether he should feel violated or laugh. "Well. Now I've seen everything." The back of the guy's shirt had the words 'the romancer' stitched on them.

"He's the chef's son," Annabeth explained. "Thinks he's quite a ladies' man."

"I'm surprised you of all people put up with it," Percy admitted.

"We have to," Annabeth said, digging into the pizza.

"He cries when he's rejected," Piper explained. "The guy is unbelievably sensitive. Plus, you know, the food is worth it."

Percy tried a bit of his pizza, highly skeptical that anything could be worth dealing with that guy. After his first swallow, he realized how wrong he was – he'd happily deal with ten Zethes for another shot at this pizza! He'd never tasted anything this good! Except maybe his mother's famous blue chocolate chip cookies. He wondered if this was what Ambrosia and Nectar tasted like for the Demigods…

It was only then that he realized that Annabeth had a receipt by her plate.

"You already paid? For TWO large pizzas?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "All of it. My treat guys."

"Thanks, Annabeth." Piper gave her a cheers.

Percy frowned. "Is there something wrong?" Annabeth looked at him.

"I've got my share covered." Percy started reaching for his wallet, hoping he'd remembered to stuff enough cash in. "I don't want to owe you—"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Please, relax. Consider this a bribe for, um, your continued co operation."

And just like that, Percy felt the mood at their table shift, as all three of them remembered why they were really here.

"Look, I'm going to be honest," Percy said. "I can't tell you the names of my friends." He waited, but the girls didn't interrupt. "They had nothing to do with your murders and it's unnecessary to involve them with your world. I've been looking at things carefully –" Percy lowered his voice "—your hard-ass government – I don't want or need my friends involved in that."

Annabeth and Piper looked at Leo, who was now making his way back towards their booth, and an understanding passed between them. "You're right. It is better to stay out of reach of our hard ass government," Annabeth said dryly.

"But," Percy added, "I can tell you what I saw on the Shadowhunter bodies and give you a little bit of insight."

"Hey guys, I need to tell you something," Leo announced, sitting down. His voice sounded much more confident than before, as if he'd just given himself a pep talk.

"Get in line Valdez." Annabeth smiled. It was a tight, I'm-stressed-but-I-will-somehow-make-everything-fine smile. "Jackson's up first."

Percy took out his phone. Looked at Annabeth. "This is all I can help you with. Some pointers in the right direction."

Annabeth nodded. "Fair."

He expected relief, which he felt, to some degree. But he also wasn't surprised by the stab of disappointment that pulsed through him. The truth was he would have liked to get a little more involved – he really didn't want the pictures of him and Hazel to fall into the Shadowhunter's hands, didn't want their names on the Clave's radar.

But before he could do that, he'd have to discuss this situation with his friends back at Camp Jupiter.

"Uh, guys," Leo began. "This is all really great, but –"

"The point, you're right." Percy nodded. "Bro, the point is that these Shadowhunters have serious burns on them. Burns you can only get from Greek Fire. And each of them was stabbed with a blade of Stygian Iron."

The three Shadowhunters stared at one another. "Never heard of any of that," Piper said.

Percy took a deep breath. How to tell them… Without really telling them. "It's hard to say this. Look, I'm involved in a… world… of my own."

"Earth?" Leo ventured.

"No."

"Jupiter?"

Percy sighed. "You're dropping to a no, bro."

"Bruh, please, I entertain."

Annabeth gave him and Leo an exasperated look. "You two get along too well," she groaned. "Back to the subject, boys."

"I prefer the term 'men'," Percy began, but stopped after catching sight of Annabeth's withering look. He barked a laugh. "Okay, right. The point. I'm a – mundane, as you would say, I guess – but I'm good at seeing. I'm involved with a different world, a different class of creatures. With a different class of monsters. And I think one of those monsters might be causing your problems. I need to go back and discuss this with my friends to figure out what our next steps should be. Maybe get an idea of which, err, monster is most likely to be responsible."

"Take me with you," all three said at once. Annabeth even stood up, a blazing silver fire in her eyes.

Percy gently tugged her down. "I can't," he hissed. "I don't –"

"Trust us?" Annabeth frowned.

"It's not in my – place – to tell you the details," Percy said, and he had to admit it hurt him to say it. "It's not _my_ world – I'm just a human, a mundane. And the go-… the, err, powerful people there would probably skew me alive if I didn't ask someone for permission before I divulged 'secret info'. There's a man… um, Mr. Lightning. He already hates me A LOT."

"Speaking of hatred," Leo began, again looking nervous, "I have to tell you guys something REALLY important." Then he paused, catching sight of someone behind them, before promptly ducking underneath the table.

Percy raised his eyebrows, confused. He looked around to try see what might have caused Leo to dive down faster than a whack-a-mole. He saw nothing unusual, just Zethes leading a group of important looking businesspeople (although undoubtedly they were something supernatural) towards the back.

"Damn," Annabeth hissed. "It's Drew Tanaka."

"But why'd Leo duck down?" Piper looked confused.

"Only one way to find out," Percy said. The three of them ducked down too, until the four of them were now completely hidden underneath the cloth covering the booth table.

"Hey guys," Leo said weakly. "I, for one, am happily surprised we all fit down here."

* * *

"Leo, what's up?" Piper asked. "Not that, you know, this isn't fun."

Leo took a deep breath, and started speaking frantically. "It's about my experiments and why I do them." It may have sounded like an unimportant statement, but it seemed, as he fidgeted with the napkin in front of him, that this was what Leo had been waiting to say all along, for he fixed each of them with a serious look. The look of someone who feels he's done something wrong, the look of someone who's unsatisfied. "How long have you known me?"

"Feels like forever," Piper murmured.

"You came to the Institute a year or so after me," Annabeth remembered. "I've known you since I was nine."

"Less than five minutes," Percy answered.

Annabeth elbowed him.

"Right, well, with the exception of bruh-Percy here, that's a long time," Leo said. "I came as an orphan. I told you guys I didn't remember clearly what happened to my parents to make me one. I just knew – I was a Shadowhunter. I knew that word. I knew it related to me. I knew that my mom had been one of the best."

"She had been," Annabeth nodded. "She's a legend for the inventions she's designed. There are so many stories about her."

"Do you…did you hear the stories of how she'd died?" Leo asked quietly.

It was dark underneath the table, the cloth that surrounded them shutting out the light and spirit of the Festus Grill. Percy could barely make out the shapes of the three Shadowhunters beside him, couldn't even see their marks. They looked like three ordinary teenagers.

But their eyes – they shone in the darkness. Leo's seemed to smolder with memories. Annabeth's caught Percy's. He could tell she was worried about her friend. Percy wanted to reassure her – but for the first time, in a long time, he felt unsure, unsteady. How could he help?

"Demons?" Piper finally spoke up, her tone as soft as snow. It sounded more like a question than an answer.

"No." Leo's eyes burned brighter, fire beginning to light. "That's what the Clave said. I don't believe it. I – I don't remember much, but I remember fire – and darkness – but a lot of fire. This man – this horrible, ugly man. I remember my mom yelling his name – and I think, I think it was him that did it. I think he killed her. He must have killed my father too…"

Percy felt incredibly uncomfortable, like he was intruding on an important moment between three friends.

"What… Did you recognize him?" Piper asked tentatively.

"No. I just… I know his name and his face. My mom yelled it out. Hephaestus." Leo said. "Vulcan."

Percy started choking. Annabeth thumped him on the back. "You all right there?"

"Yeah – I – " He blinked. "Vulcan? Hephaestus?"

"Yeah, like the old Greek gods. I mean, it's probably some code name, or maybe his parents had a weird sense of humor. I never found out who he was – even though I know his name and his face! He's not a Shadowhunter. I would have hunted him down by now if he was."

"You're sure he's responsible?" Percy asked quietly.

"I remember him moving away, running away… as my mother called his name. I figure he's responsible. He's gotta be. Or if not… I just… I feel this weird connection, like if I find him, this guy can answer all my questions about… that night."

"So your experiments… the portals, the magic sensing devices…" Annabeth started connecting dots.

"Yeah. I figure he must be a warlock. Too ugly to be a vampire or fey. Not hairy enough to be a werewolf. I have this scrap of metal. It's this weird bronze colour." Leo brought it out to show them. In his hand was a small piece of Celestial bronze that shone in the darkness. It cast a glow over all four of them. Percy's heart rate doubled. "I've had it ever since that night. It's got really distinct properties – its different from other metals I've used. I've been trying to locate him from this, trying tracking charms, trying everything… to find his brand of magic, to find _him_."

"Leo, I… don't know what to say," Piper said. She reached across to squeeze his arm.

"I never told you guys. I thought you'd think I was crazy. And I don't know… I just … I wanted to do this myself, you know? It felt personal.

"But I've gotten myself into trouble with my previous experiments – and you two always had my back. I guess I've been involving you all along."

"Hold it, Valdez." Annabeth pointed at Leo. "Don't you go telling us you feel guilty now. We have never required, nor wanted, your guilt. Gods, Leo, if it were me… I'd do the exact same thing."

Leo made a strangled chuckle. "Funny you should say that. This morning, I tried something new with my experiment and it blew up. As usual. But when I was analyzing the remnants, searching for re-usable metal scraps, it was like all of a sudden I could see things so much clearer – like my hands were thinking for themselves." Leo gulped. "Guys, I made a portal that worked. It was this weird rainbow mirror that showed me that fugly guy –" Leo stopped. Silence.

"What did he look like?" Percy couldn't help himself.

"Fugly." Leo said simply.

"And…?"

"Beard with flames in it. Bruised face. And he looked sad. Guilty, actually. Or maybe both. But – Octavian barged in then. Said something about routine inspection. The whole portal thing fell apart, for some reason, the moment he walked in. Even though I hadn't changed the settings or anything. Then the weasel confiscated everything – told me his sensor was going haywire detecting magic – that this was the last straw – I'd never be allowed to experiment again – blah blah blah." Leo took a deep breath. "Look, I thought I owed you guys an explanation for my experiments, now that things are… well, getting serious. I'm sorry I experiment with magic, because that's why we're in this mess with the clave and the Warlock. But…"

"You can't stop," Piper said.

"And we wouldn't ask you to," Annabeth said.

Leo stared at his friends. "This… was weighing on me heavily guys."

Piper smacked him. "All this time? Leo, you should have spoken up!"

"Wait, hang on." Percy couldn't believe his luck. "So you saw Hephaestus? And you Shadowhunters can't find any detectable Downworld magic or traces on the dead bodies?"

"Err, those are two very different things, but yes." Leo nodded.

"And you're hiding under this table because…?"

"Drew is Inquisitor. She's an official that's in charge of the whole investigation, but laws in general. She would give Leo such a big lecture about experimenting with magic again," Piper guessed.

"Bingo," Leo confirmed. "Octavian's probably analyzed everything and given her his full report by now."

"Oh, I don't think he's investigated your experiment yet," Percy muttered. He started thinking, letting the chatter of the Festus Grill, slightly muffled though it may be, wash over him.

"Ohh, meester Octavian, Drew Tanaka is right zis way." Zethes's words swirled around outside.

And Percy knew what would happen – Leo and Hephaestus, the Downworlders being unable to see through the Greek mist and the dubious Shadowhunter deaths…

Percy knew what Octavian would be telling Drew and he knew it would not end well for Leo Valdez.

"You gotta go," Percy told Leo urgently. "It makes sense now! We'll need to talk somewhere else." Percy tugged the checked table cloth up and peeked around. "Coast is clear."

"Huh?"

"What do you know?"

Leo and Piper looked at him, confused.

"Guys, it's time you trust me – if you want my help, that is. We have to avoid Octavian and, err, Drew." Percy didn't know how much time they had, so was unbelievably grateful when Annabeth squeezed his shoulder.

"I trust the kid. Leo, Pipes, let's go. Two at a time. Percy and I first. We'll be the ginny-pigs."

Percy paused.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"I prefer 'man'…"

She shoved him out.

* * *

Percy and Annabeth managed to make it back into the first floor of the Festus Grill without being stopped. Annabeth said there was an exit in the back that was always deserted. They decided it would be the smarter option to leave by.

Percy was following her, completely distracted by everything he was beginning to piece together. So he was completely surprised when someone grabbed him roughly around the neck and slammed him against the wall.

Her heard Annabeth shriek in frustration as someone grappled with her.

Anger flared hot and bright inside Percy. He was about to yell out, when –

"Well, well," said a deep voice, sharp claws raking Percy's back, "If it isn't Mr Jackson. And what's this, a friend? The boss will be pleased to see you, Mr Jackson. Very pleased indeed."

And just like that, the anger vanished, doused by an ice cold wave that flooded through Percy. His heart sunk.

He recognized that voice.

He had been hoping not to recognize that voice for the rest of his life…

"Hey, Jovis, long time no see," Percy croaked weakly. He couldn't move, his head was still pinned to the side. "Where've you been hiding, man?"

The voice laughed harshly. "We both know who's really been hiding – and who's been hunting."

And before Percy could say anything else, before he could even meet Annabeth's gaze and try to explain, to warn her, they were both jabbed with something sharp – a needle…

Percy lost consciousness.

* * *

 **AN:** _Sorry for the long wait - school. But here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed. And now to reply to the lovely reviews ~_

 _To Thingygazinga:_ _Thank you so much! As for Annabeth... haha I'm going to let that be a surprise. I'm really happy you're enjoying it._

 _To ForeverFoxy7: THANK YOU! I just... That's honestly an amazing review that made me feel happy and excited to write again. So thanks, and you have no idea how happy it makes me that you found the story funny! I definitely will post MUCH more frequently when school's over. This story will grow. 3_

 _Thanks to the people following, the people reviewing and the people reading! You guys all rock._


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